The Hill News

Mitt Romney's opponents on both sides of the aisle are turning his attack on President Obama's decision to mandate that employers â€" including Catholic hospitals and universities â€" provide health insurance for contraception back on him.

Romney has been hammering Obama's mandate, believing the issue can help him to appeal both to the religious right and centrist Catholic voters who supported the president in the last election.

But both his Democratic and Republican opponents on Tuesday pointed out that as governor of Massachusetts, he required all hospitals â€" including Catholic institutions â€" to provide the morning-after pill.

In 2005, Romney required Massachusetts hospitals to provide emergency contraception to rape victims after the state legislature overrode his veto of a new state law. Romney said that he was obligated to do so under the advice of his legal counsel, despite some Catholic hospitals in the state arguing that the! morning-after pill was a form of abortion.

President Obama's new regulation is facing similar scrutiny, with Catholic leaders arguing that they are being forced to subsidize a practice against their faith. The White House has stressed that it is willing to work with religious leaders, but believes that cheap and open access to contraception is an important step forward for women's health.

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